DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) --Tanzanian authorities said on Thursday they were
working hard to control illegal exports of minerals from mining
sites.

Angellah Kairuki,
the Minister for Minerals, said the government was making final
touches toward the construction of seven stations that will
offer training on minerals processing, safe mining and value
addition in efforts to increase revenues from the sector.

She made the remarks
in the capital Dodoma at the opening of an extractive sector
conference organized by the HakiRasilimali, a platform of civil
society organizations working on strategic issues around
minerals, oil and gas extraction in Tanzania.

Kairuki said the
ministry has prioritized areas to improve the mining sector and
entire extractive industry at large.

She said some of the
key priorities included accountability in the mining sector and
the entire extractive industry to broaden and strengthen the
revenue collection in the sector.

“We are confident
that we will succeed in the program since we have strategies to
improve inspections and controls at small and medium scale mines
in order to get the right information on investments,
production, sales and taxes,” said the minister.

Ronald Kasuga,
chairman of HakiRasilimali Board of Directors, said the national
conference was aimed at discussing and reflecting deeply on how
the sector can promote development in the country.

Kasuga said despite
being rich in natural resources, Tanzania continued to be poor.

“Recent estimates
put the number of those living below the poverty line at 12
million,” he said. The population of the east African country is
estimated at 55 million people.

He added that to
continue addressing poverty challenges, the extractive sector in
Tanzania has undergone major shifts in terms of policy and
regulatory framework since 2016.

Kasuga said the essence of the shifts was aimed at enabling the
country to harness full economic potential from its mining and
gas sectors.